Coming to study in Ireland

Explore your options

If you want to study in Ireland and are a non EEA/non Swiss national, you will need to have:

  • A letter of enrolment
  • Paid your fees.

Depending on your nationality, you may also apply for a visa. If you are planning to stay longer than 90 days you will also have to register.

What do I need in order to study in Ireland?

In this section you will find the options available to you for studying in Ireland. You have the option to attend a third-level course at a university or other third-level institution, a language course, a fee paying private primary or secondary school or a short-term course.

Depending on the duration of your study you will either have to apply for a short stay visa or a long stay visa before coming to Ireland. If you are staying longer than 90 days you will also have to register after arriving in Ireland.

In this page we will explain what you have to do before you come to Ireland and what you need to do after you arrive in the country.

A step-by-step guide on how to use the visa application system can be found at this page. This guide can be translated into a number of different languages by simply clicking on the ‘Choose your language’ link at the top of that page.

Other study options

You can find out more about what you and your school need to do when planning to visit Ireland on a short-term school tour.

The following page sets out the policy and requirements, if you wish to come to Ireland as a trainee accountant.

This section provides answers to questions you may have.

This page was last updated on August 16, 2023